Amish Four Grain Pale Ale

by Michael Stein

Going to college in Selinsgrove, PA afforded me the privilege of constantly being surrounded by the Amish. You could find them setting up their stands on Saturday morning for the Selinsgrove farmer’s market. You could notice them biking through town, or riding their horse-drawn buggies along Interstate 80; this to me was the most dramatic display of their faith in God’s hands, because huge 18-wheelers whizzed by at 80 miles an hour. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Amish during my time interacting with them, it’s that their as loveable as they are sheisty.*

Now that may be a gross generalization of all Amish, as I know there are many reliable Amish who are roof and furniture builders, as well as trustworthy farmers. So the Amish I speak specifically of are a group of Amish that live just outside Selinsgrove, who run a certain supermarket, where such goods as Ranch Dressing and Honey Nut Cheerios are often sold in April, when there expiry date was back in January…I’m just sayin’.
Just because they don’t pay taxes or don’t fight in our wars, doesn’t mean that all of them are shady…just a specific few in the Snyder County Area. (I’m pretty sure that I don’t have to worry about that Amish family seeing my article about them, however they do own a grocery store so I suppose anything is possible).*

All of this aside, the Amish are a fantastic Religious group who’s positives far outweigh their negatives. A recent trip to Pennsylvania got me in the mood to sample some local beer. We here at Beer Made Clear like to think globally and drink locally. My desire to do so steered me in the direction of The Lancaster Brewing Companies’ sampler pack. The beer I chose to review is the Amish Four Grain Pale Ale.
The beer has a pretty timid smell, although subtle, there is a definite yeasty, oaty smell to it. The stench of the beer is a bit more pilsner and less hoppy than detected in your Sierra Nevada, or Saranac Pale Ale.

The first sip is all bread, the wheat, oats and rye taste like several different malts on one palette. As John Trogner brags about all of his Mad Elf batches tasting the same, I would imagine that Lancaster may not be such control freaks about blending. I’d be curious to see how Lancaster handles its brewing process; do they believe like Troegs, that a “good batch” implies that there are bad ones being served out there? Regardless, the beer tastes well blended.

The beer pours with medium head and decent amounts of lacing. Pours with a very light brown color comparable to, but lighter than, a Lager.

The beer’s malts are almost overpowering all other ingredients in the beer. There is an almost grape-like taste to the beer, reminiscent of the aftertaste of a Troegenator. There is also something in this beer that is quite similar with all other Lancaster Beers in their sampler pack; it’s an almost sour-skunky-grape type finish. It’s hard to put this flavor into words, but the end taste of the beer is present in the Hop Hog, the Strawberry Wheat and the Milk Porter. It’s also a taste common in ABC beers, particularly their Mountain Lager.

Overall this beer is quite tasty and one I would purchase a case of. I’m pleased to say that the Lancaster Brewing Company did not exploit the Amish name and make a bad tasting beer. This beer would be delicious without the computer, without the TV and even more scrumptious with the lights off.






*None of these facts are technically verified. However, there are multiple witnesses who can attest to the Amish selling groceries past expiry date.

Imperial Red Ale

by Michael Stein

I hate red beers. They are a testament to the average and boring. Red beers are the dregs that the inexperienced beer drinker reports as exotic. Despite this reputation I must sing the praises of the Lagunitas Brewing Company’s Imperial Red Ale for breaking the boring red mold.

Lagunitas’ Imperial Red declares on their bottle, “this Special Ale is, in reality, a reconstructed exhumation of the very first ale that we ever brewed way, way, way back in 1993.” Since being introduced to the Lagunitas Brewing Company’s beers a few short summers ago, I have witnessed their distribution grow. Founded in 1993, the
company relocated from Lagunitas to Petaluma, California. And as I have seen their selection grow at many east-coast distributors, so too have I witnessed their myth spread. Many claims have been passed down via word-of-mouth, however all hyperbole becomes unnecessary when one tastes their beer. Roland Barthes, French cultural theorist, would
have found fascinating the myth that Lagunitas has created.

In Mythologies Barthes discusses how red wine became the national drink of the French people, the drink for every occasion. It is cooling in the summer months and warming in the winter. But by definition a drink cannot encompass two opposite descriptions. This is analogous to the myth surrounding Lagunitas and their flagship IPA (India Pale Ale).

According to the IRI (Industrial Research Institute) Lagunitas Brewing Company’s IPA is the best-selling IPA in the state of California. In a state riddled with craft-breweries, the majority of whom offer their own take on an IPA, this is no small feat. However, I grow uneasy calling Lagunitas’ most well-known beer their best beer. This is
where my taste differs from most, for me their Imperial Red is their best beer, and if it were not a seasonal offering I would drink it year-round. According to their website its next approximate release will be in August 2009.

On the bottom of the six-pack another message appears. “We often describe our ales as having the luxuriant aromas of broccoli, kerosene, and burning tractor tires while bragging about their stagnant and pond-water flavors.” Further down, “[R]ed is a color, not a beer—and while the taste buds want what the taste buds want, you cannot taste a color.” Aside from the tongue in cheek, there is greater irony in that every Red Ale I’ve ever had has not been red, but a dark brown color.

Lagunitas’ Imperial Red pours with a medium head, and as the glass fills the head spreads thin. Little bubbles of carbonation pop up and float atop the head. The first taste is indeed high gravity. Kerosene, broccoli, however you want to phrase it, this beer has bite! The second sip takes me from bitter to sweet; rich, robust caramel and toffee tones bring the palate back to pleasure. But by the third sip it’s back to bitter. This beer is truly bizarre!

The mouthfeel has an odd level of lightness, it must be the 84.2 IBUs (International Bitterness Units) that makes this beer so balanced. The beer is very well-hopped, just by smelling it, the nose picks up a rich floral bouquet. This is out of the ordinary for a Red Ale, as the Irish Red traditionally relies on roasted barley. Most Irish Reds or Red Ales tend to have stronger barley and malt palates and less bite or bitterness. As I swill the brew in my cheeks, “whirl pooling” the beer, I pick up some sweet creamy notes. These notes dissipate as the high gravity ale goes down the gullet. The flavor is like a Tale of Two Tastes.

If Charles Dickens had this beer in Victorian England, there would have been much more fighting and far less writing. The Lagunitas Imperial Red is surely a Dickensian-beer. While this flavor is crafted for an Adirondack chair on vacation, its 7.8% ABV (Alcohol by Volume) would be sure to have the most seasoned London pub dwellers red-in-the-face after a few pints of Imperial Red.

Heartland Brewery

by Jonathan Kosakow

The first time I went to a Heartland Brewery, I had high expectations.  "A brew pub in New York City?" I thought.  "How could you go wrong?"  Well, I'll tell you how you could go wrong: by walking into a Heartland Brewery with high expectations.  

On this first visit I ordered the flight of beers, and was able to sample all of their brews within an hour. Needless to say, I was drunk by the end of this, and most likely slurring my speech. Luckily, the friend I was with followed suit, and neither of us was trying to sleep in the other's bed (his name is Andrew, and he has his own big boy bed). Towards the end of the sampler, I could hardly tell the difference between the stout and the porter. I thought this was just because my senses were dulled by the hour's worth of alcohol I had imbibed, but since then I have been proven wrong.

For whatever reason, I have gone back to the Heartland Brewery a number of times since then, and I am always disappointed in their beer. At this point, I feel like I have tried just about all of the 20-odd concoctions they have hastily thrown together, and for the life of me I can't remember ONE that stands out above the rest. Aside from the flashy logos that they assign to each new recipe, there is literally no reason for me to even read the description of each beer, besides fro the sake of being polite.

I've assessed the problem over and over in my head (I know, there are more constructive things I could be doing, but I won't defend my useless analytical leanings), and what I've come up with is that the Heartland Brewery is not a spot for beer lovers. Hell, it's hardly a spot for New Yorkers. It is a spot for tourists, for people looking for a theme, for people more interested in decor and surroundings of a restaurant than in what they are ingesting. The Heartland Brewery is more concerned with making money than making beer, so they follow the simple recipe for that: over-advertise, overcharge, under-work (that is nothing against the wait staff or bartenders, the service is actually quite good).  So, I realize now, that this is less of a review of a beer or a brewery than it is of a tourist trap. Sorry to everyone, if I've wasted your time.

Fireside Nut Brown ale

Reviewed by Michael Stein

In the vain of all things manly and kickass, Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown Ale is a touch of brown testosterone in a bottle. So its only fitting my girlfriend's father blessed me with a case as a belated Christmas gift. I've stretched the four six packs out over the course of a couple of weeks and cherished its every drop, but this just goes to show the beer's versatility. The truly nice thing about this brew is the fact that the glass I filled one and a half times, I killed in about 6 sips. So just to juxtapose, it's a beer that tastes delicious for hours on end, beer after beer. I can attest to this personally, as I spent a good deal of Thanksgiving Day doing so. The beer has a 4.9% ABV, so it's a cut above your standard, but still lighter than most pale ales. However, as this case tends to cost around $30.00, I would recommend chipping away at the delectable "ale" at a snail's pace. But as I like to say, this beer was the best price, free ninety nine!

Upon first sip the beer has a sweet, caramel and almost hints of bitter bubblegum taste. My girlfriend would probably tell you this beer tasted like molasses. The taste is maple, definitely a strong taste of maple syrup. The irony in all of this, is that the current most-recent reviewer over @ ratebeer, writes "Notes of chocolate, nuts, hazelnut, but it seems very forced, i.e, artificial. Thin mouthfeel. Metallic finish. A strange brew that will appear to women and rubes who think they're drinking something exotic or high class." HA! And I thought I was chauvinistic!

When talking with fellow beer-guy Chris K., last week, he mentioned that he felt the Leini's Sunset Wheat was fantastically refreshing at first sip, but that the taste of orange and copper overcame the beer's appealing flavor by the end of a long night…a long night of say, playin' some bass kickin rhythm & blues and funky drums for hours whilst killin' a case. I know how he felt, but still I'd prefer a happy hour's worth of Sunset Wheat over a say, Shock Top, or Blue Moon any day. On a hot summer day, a Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy would be the only thing better!

At the Second sip, its clear; coffee, and definitive caramel, almost comparable to a Duncan doughnuts hazelnut iced coffee taste. But sometimes I like drinking those and therefore I like drinking this beer. Also of note, another similarity to Shock Top, Leinenkugel's was purchased in 1988 by Miller Brewing, although Leinenkugel's began making their "craft brews" in the 1980s. Shock Top is owned by Anheuser-Busch and was first introduced in 2006. I'm not certain, but I believe the Fireside Nut Brown ale is less than a year old, as it is a winter seasonal, only released in November and December (however you may be lucky enough to find it in October or January as well). Just like the Summer Shandy, this Leinenkugel's beer is under two year old, but you can count on it to be around to stay. So try to drink a toast to either summer or winter, year round. Prost!

Samuel Smith's Organic Lager

by Jonathan Kosakow

I sat down for dinner with some family in an Upper East Side Vegan restaurant the other night (could I sound more white?), and the first question we all asked was what they had at the bar. OK, the first question I asked was what they had at the bar. As I perused the beer list, I noticed something that I should have assumed from the beginning: everything was organically produced.

I've had some experience with organically produced beers in the past, mainly at the Selin's Grove Brewing Company, as well as through the Pinkus and Peak Organic brews, but here in front of me was a list of organic beers most of which I had never heard of. I'm sure you can imagine the feeling of ecstatic ecstasy that engulfed me. I'm also sure you can imagine the dread when I realized that each beer was a minimum of $7, and disappointment when I came to my senses and realized I couldn't in good conscience drink the entire list while sitting down to a quiet dinner with family.

Organic beers are a trend quickly gaining popularity in the beer industry. According to the Associated Press, sales of organic beers rose 111% between 2003 and 2005, and has continued to rise since then, prompting even companies like Anheuser-Busch to test a couple of their own.

I felt rushed to order, which is probably a good thing as otherwise I would have spent an easy twenty minutes debating with myself, but I settled quickly on a brewery which I have some familiarity with, and a beer with which I had none.

When I poured Samuel Smith's Organic Lager into my glass, I noticed how smoothly it flowed, and how delicate it looked. I let it sit for just a few seconds before the head settled perfectly. The color is uncharacteristic of most lagers, but more like a slightly-thicker-than-normal Pilsner. Upon first sip though, it was clear that this was no Pilsner. It's full flavored, with a light yet slightly creamy palate, and washes down your throat smoothly. Similar to the other organic brews I've sampled, this Lager tastes incredibly fresh, and was the perfect accompaniment to the light meal customary to a Vegan dinner. However, I would not limit this beer to always play the role of "good company" - it is one suitable for any occasion. It has what Bud Light claims to have: drinkability. It goes down smoothly and sits in your stomach lightly, but doesn't lack the delicate balance of hops and malt to be called "good quality." It may not be easy to find, and it may not be cheap, but I fully recommend giving this one a try.

Bethlehem Brew Works

by Dan Raposo


BBW Pumpkin Ale
BBW Fegley's E.S.B.
BBW Steelgaarden Wit



It seems that every family has their lackey. The person that gets stuck driving the others to and from the airport, gets the last minute groceries on holidays, you get the idea. Well in my family, I'm that guy. It's not so much because I'm a pushover, but mainly because I don't mind doing the errands nobody else wants to do, especially when they involve long drives and new places. Lucky for me, one of these such excursions led me to Bethlehem Brew Works in Bethlehem, PA.

A friend of my family's, who happens to be a priest, flew up from Florida to visit an old friend at his first parish in Bethlehem. My dad was supposed to drive him the 2.5 hours from CT to PA that Saturday morning, but the chauffeur duties inevitably fell to me (and of course my visiting girlfriend) We got there just after 10am, and after a short visit to the Church, my girlfriend and I took off to let the priests catch up. Fulfilling my need to explore, we drove around the town for a while until I saw Bethlehem Brew Works, shining like the Star of Bethlehem leading me to a refreshing beer experience. Sorry for the Jesus talk, but with the priests and Bethlehem, I had to work that in somewhere. Don't worry, it'll be the last bad reference to the Christmas story I make. And so, without further ado, the three gifts from the wise men of Bethlehem Brew Works. (I lied)

When I order a seasonal brew like a Pumpkin or a Holiday Winter, I want distinct and robust flavors of whatever is supposed to set the beer apart. So when I ordered the Pumpkin Ale I was hoping for something hearty, full of the flavors that make the fall season, pumpkin, cinnamon, something!!! What I got was a dweeb of an Ale with a hint of pumpkin. No spices, no robust flavors, nothing. If they were trying to create a lighter ale using pumpkins, something you could drink all night, they succeeded. But I'm not buying it, it was weak, light, and simple. My girlfriend loved the hint of pumpkin though, so I let her finish it.

After the Pumpkin Ale I decided to step it up a bit to protect my manhood, so I ordered the Fegley's ESB. The ESB gave me hope for BBW and did so by kicking my ass. The ESB is a British style amber, but not pale skinned, bad toothed type British, more like a British pit bull, with rabies. When you first taste this red amber ale, the sweet but complex malts caress and tickle the taste buds, then the succulent hop variety sucks the sweetness right out, leaving you dazed and confused, like you were just hit by a baldheaded British rugby thug, and then woken up by his hot sister. Overall, a highly enjoyable beer.

After the ESB I thought I would chill out a bit with the pubs most popular beer, the Steelgaarden Wit. I thought I was getting a relaxing Belgian wheat, but what I got was a complex and spicier version of this very traditional style. When poured, it looked just like an unfiltered wheat, hazy and golden in color but then when tasted, the chamomile and coriander took the beer to a new level, giving a typically simple style a fuller and much deeper taste.

Bethlehem Brew Works also had an interesting variety of fruit infused beers, which my girlfriend tried and I avoided after the first sip. Then after a few beers and some hot wings I got a call from the church and quickly remembered.... I had to drive the priest back home.


The Bethlehem Brew Works Website

Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy

By Matt Vekasy (circa July 25th, 2008)

It was a hot summer day in July and I took the day off to help my brother and his wife move. I showed up bright and early w/ a box o' coffee and we got to work... watching the movers do everything. (Lesson: helping people move who have hired movers is awesome). The moving was finished by noon and my brother and I made a trip to the grocery store and the liquor store. I picked up a 6-pack of Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. I've had their sunset wheat before, but I wanted to try something new. I quickly realized that I had grabbed my new official summer moving beer.

This beer was so crisp and refreshing that by two beers in I wasn't thirsty for beer anymore. I can't tell you about the appearance or smell because I was parched and just drank it right out of the bottle. But I can tell you that this beer made me happy and after moving (alright not moving, but it was a hot day) all morning, Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy quenched my thirst. I remember not knowing what a shandy was when I bought it, but Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy tasted more like beer than of a wine cooler and left me refreshed and recharged.

I have since learned that Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy is a mix of lemonade and beer. More info can be found below:
Official website
Beer Advocate review